Topics: Mental Health, Sleep, Parenting, Technology
Parents are being warned against giving their kids a smartphone too early, as a new study suggests it has a detrimental impact on their mental and physical well-being.
Researchers looking at more than 10,000 children found that owning a smartphone before the age of 13 was linked to higher rates of depression, obesity and lack of sleep during early adolescence.
The research, published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, analysed data from 10,588 participants involved in the long-running Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study across 21 sites in the US.
Caregivers reported when their children first received a smartphone, and researchers then tracked health outcomes at ages 12 and 13.
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Shockingly, 12-year-olds who already owned a smartphone were significantly more likely to experience depression, be obese, and not get enough sleep compared to their peers without phones - while the younger a child was when they got their first device, the greater the risks appeared to be, particularly for obesity and poor sleep.
The study also followed children who didn’t have smartphones at 12 but got one by 13.
The authors wrote: "At age 13 years, among 3,486 youth who did not own a smartphone at age 12 years, those who had acquired a smartphone in the past year had greater odds of reporting clinical-level psychopathology and insufficient sleep compared with those who had not after controlling for baseline mental health and sleep.”
In other words, even getting a smartphone just a year earlier made a huge difference.
Lead author Ran Barzilay, a professor of psychiatry and child-adolescent psychiatrist at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said the issue shouldn’t be brushed aside.
"This is not something you can ignore for sure," he told The Washington Post.
The timing of the study comes as Australia became the first country to ban social media platforms, like TikTok and Instagram, for under-16s - forcing tech companies to block access from the beginning of this month.
Other nations, including Malaysia, are reportedly considering similar measures, while several US states already require parental consent for younger teens to open social media accounts.
The researchers concluded: "Smartphone ownership was associated with depression, obesity, and insufficient sleep in early adolescence.
"Findings provide critical and timely insights that should inform caregivers regarding adolescent smartphone use and, ideally, the development of public policy that protects youth."
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 to reach a 24-hour crisis center or you can webchat at 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
